Facing Addiction in America: Introduction and Overview

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon The Surgeon General’s Report on addiction in America. This Report takes a comprehensive look at the problem; covering topics including misuse of alcohol, prescription drugs, and other substances, and bringing together the best available science on the adverse health consequences of substance misuse. It also summarizes what we know about what works in prevention, treatment, and recovery. This course is based on chapter 1 of the report and covers the prevalence of substance use and misuse, costs and impact of substance misuse and elements of diagnosing a substance use disorder. This course on addiction is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of addiction in America. The course material includes a literature review . It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. The course is based on the Surgeon General’s Report which includes research. It contains data and a literature that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A major benefit of reading research based articles for continuing education is that they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Suregeon General Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding addiction. Specifically, a professional will: •Describe the prevalence of substance use, misuse and disorders. •Identify recent changes in health care policy and law. •Recognize the elements in diagnosing a substance use disorder. Citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. Chapter 1. Washington, DC: HHS, November 2016.